January Box Office Drops 25%

Last month's totals came in at $792.3 million, much lower than 2010 and 2009, when tickets sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time in history.

The January doldrums are back.

Box office revenues in January 2011 were down dramatically from 2010 and 2009, when tickets sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time in history.

Revenues last month came in at $792.3 million, essentially even with 2008, when revenues for the month were $794.7 million.

The decline is due to the lack of a breakout Christmas hit that carried over -- such as Avatar, Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel last year -- as well as a number of underperforming January films.

January 2011 results were down 25.3% from the $1.06 billion collected in January 2010 and 22% down from the $1.02 billion earned in January 2009, when Paul Blart: Mall Cop turned into a sleeper hit.